


The Line I Once Drew Got Washed Away By Your Blood

by Gemini_Baby



Series: Bruce & Jason Week 2021 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Wayne Gets a Hug, Bruce Wayne Kills Joker (DCU), Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Dissociation, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Jason Todd Comes Back Right, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, suicide ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:43:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29737521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemini_Baby/pseuds/Gemini_Baby
Summary: Bruce mourned Jason. Bruce grieved Jason.Bruce killed the Joker.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: Bruce & Jason Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177907
Comments: 6
Kudos: 103
Collections: BruJay Week 2021





	The Line I Once Drew Got Washed Away By Your Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Written using the prompt for day 6 of Bruce Jason Week, "Bruce kills the Joker"  
> I LOVE this prompt !!!!
> 
> Thank you Genevieve (That_Hippie_Chick) for the beta help!!!

The creature, the ugly smudge on the name and profession of clowns, had the audacity to laugh and burst into cackles as he recollected the events and told Batman how he had murdered his precious partner. How Batman’s second partner had been worthless. How he hadn’t deserved any of his attention. And how he was not going to miss Robin at all.

That piece of garbage had it all wrong! Joker did not just murder Batman’s sidekick. He had murdered _Jason_ ; his son, brutally. His second son was _not_ worthless.

Jason had the most priceless smile. He was a good kid. _His_ kid. He deserved all the love, care and attention in the world; something Bruce might have failed to give. Or otherwise, this piece of trash would not have been able to stand here proudly as he laughed and told everyone how Robin had been pathetic as he got beaten up by him. Joker was here; standing and laughing. While Jaylad was sleeping many feet below the ground.

Today, Bruce could not kill the Joker. No matter how much he wanted to. No matter how much he _tried_ . He was _ready_ to break his one rule for his son. His son whose corpse when he had held, had shaken him to his core.

Bruce was _done_ saving these types of people; people who would let a killer roam free and then blame the innocent victim, citing all the faults how _they_ could have avoided it. Ignoring how the person who killed them...could have just _not_ killed them. But it was Gotham. And it was a cruel world. The victim is the criminal in their eyes.

Bruce was so close to murdering the Joker today. But then Superman had to intervene. For all the heartbeats the man could hear, he could not hear the sound of Bruce’s heart breaking into countless shards and stabbing him from inside out.

Apparently, the madman has some sort of immunity because he is in some upper government position in some country, blah blah blah. It would be an international scandal and justice league crisis blah blah. All Bruce heard was ‘This person has the right to live even after taking the ability to breathe from Jason’.

He did not kill the Joker that day. That day was maybe Joker’s.

But Bruce was sure one day would be _his._

  
  
  


Bruce kept dissociating these days. He would recollect what happened. But he was often so disconnected he didn’t even realize it. He would come back to himself to then realize that he had lost in the divide between reality and hallucinations again.

  
  
  


He sat on the edge of the bridge. The water below seemed inviting. That was the only thing that seemed inviting these days.

Bruce threw a little rock. The water splooshed and the impact caused ripples. Bruce wondered if it would also form ripples if he were the one jumping and falling into the water, instead of the little rock.

The water seemed inviting.

Calling. 

The thought that the ambers and the smoke had not been inviting to Jason was what stopped Bruce from submerging into the water of the river.

He wanted nothing more than to reunite with Jason. But this way felt like cheating. Felt like taking the easier way. An easy way out when Jason couldn’t even exit this world peacefully.

It didn’t feel fair to let the foam consume his lungs when the smoke had claimed Jason’s.

Bruce stared at the water and kept staring at it. As if trying to will the water to just send a wave in his direction and take him somewhere else. Somewhere which wasn’t preferably this world.

  
  
  
  


He was in the park today. Alfred had said he needed to focus on different things. That he needed to get out of the house. To have a change in scenery.

The flowers were pretty. The flower buds were pretty. Blue. the same shade as Jason’s eyes.

Bruce sat on the bench. The scenery was undoubtedly different. Air clear. Not fogged like some months ago. The air smelt fresh. Carrying the fragrance of the flowers around. It didn’t reek of burnt flesh.

He looked at the grass in front of him.

_Green._

_So Green._

Just like Jason’s favourite shade of green.

Bruce closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths. He only managed a couple of them. Choking on the third.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t sit here. He couldn’t just...waste oxygen when Jason, sweet Jason died because of the lack of it.

Tears clouded his vision and Bruce left the park. It had no right to stand there, green, fresh and reminding him of Jason. Of being everything Jason would have liked. Everything Jason would have loved.

  
  
  


He was getting late for patrol. Jason needed to hurry up in wearing his costume already. He was taking too long today.

Hands on the cowl, ready to wear it, he yelled, “Jaylad. Come here fast. We are getting late”. He was midway into the cowl, now as the teacups falling behind him startled him.

Alfred looked spooked. 

Not spooked.

He was looking at Bruce as if Bruce had been talking to a ghost.

A ghost. Ha!

...ha.

Bruce remembered now. He hated it. It wasn’t right. He wanted to go back to a few minutes ago. When he had forgotten the kid wasn’t here.

  
  


Jason was a ghost. And Bruce had always lurked in shadows.

He wished he could meet Jason this way then.

A communication, a meeting between a shadow and a ghost.

  
  
  
  
  


Bruce woke up with cold sweats.

He wanted to hold Jason.

The memory of the last time he had held Jay came before his eyes and sobs made way through his body.

He hated that the last time he had gotten to hold Jason had been when he had held the pulverized body. 

  
  
  
  


He was on the way from Wayne Enterprises to his car to go home when he saw that. The chilli dogs cart. He got Jason’s favourite and got in the car.

Jay would be _so happy_ to see that Bruce had come early and _with_ chilli dogs.

He remembered as he reached the manor. The memories of the explosion-dead body-casket hitting him full force as they forced him to kick the brakes and narrowly avoided his own accident.

  
  
  


Tonight that mad clown tried to mock his son’s sacrifice and Batman saw red.

He wasn’t seeing anything else. He didn’t know what was before him. It was just black. And it was just red in front of his eyes. Black just like the darkness as the warehouse had exploded. Red. Just like the blood oozing out of the wounds where Jason had been hit or where the shrapnel dug in his body.

Red and Black. That was all Bruce saw. That was all that took over the vision of Batman. And Bruce lost himself.

He came back to himself when everything inside him was soothed that the person who had hurt his son was no more. No more tainting the beautiful memories and actions of his son. A creature no more daring to breathe after killing his son and making his last breaths hard.

Batman killed the Joker that night.

It wasn’t anything grand. That madman didn’t deserve anything grand.

No one knew it had been Batman.

No one cared either.

Bruce himself didn’t care either.

His son had been avenged.

That vile piece of garbage didn’t breathe anymore. Didn’t breathe the oxygen that he had taken away from Jay.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Jason Todd returned to the land of the living.

It wasn’t a surprise to hear that his murderer was no more. It was a surprise to learn that it was _Bruce_ who had killed him.

Jason might be having rage issues but the moment he learned that his dad did that _for him,_ he felt loved. Reassured. It was nice to know that someone gave a damn about him. 

Sheila betraying him was a wound that would pain and hurt him forever but Bruce loving him as his son in his life and even after his death was something Jason would forever cherish. He left the League compound with a smile to meet his father.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Bruce opened the door. His brain, his rational side said, _“This couldn’t be.”_

But his heart said that it was Jason in front of him, alive, well and _back._ His heart urged him to pull the young man into an embrace and convey all the love he had felt for him. Bruce did just that.

**Author's Note:**

> What are your thoughts? <3
> 
> Also, if you are 18+ and want to join a batfam Gen server, you can join [this discord](https://discord.gg/mDQqpjYMa8). ~~Please select green/robin though. We need more Robins.~~ I am kidding. You can select any!


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